Review: King of the Screwups by K.L. Going

King of the Screwups by K.L. Going (ARC) - Liam Geller is Mr. Popularity. Everybody loves him. He excels at sports; he knows exactly what clothes to wear; he always ends up with the most beautiful girls in school. But he's got an uncanny ability to screw up in the very ways that tick off his father the most.

When Liam finally gets kicked out of the house, his father's brother takes him in. What could a teenage chick magnet possibly have in common with his gay, glam rocker, DJ uncle who lives in a trailer in upstate New York? A lot more than you'd think. And when Liam attempts to make himself over as a nerd in a desperate attempt to impress his father, it's his "aunt" Pete and the guys in his band who convince Liam there's much more to him than his father will ever see. From Amazon US

I can't tell you how amazing this book is! Seriously, it's unbelievably emotional and poweful, and at times depressing, but it's fantastic.

This book doesn't really have anything to do with body image, but it's all about self-perception. The perception Liam has of himself, of being a screwup who's never going to amount to much, is based on the way he is treated by his father. His father is a successful business man, his mother is the owner of a boutique and an ex-super model. Nothing Liam or his mother does is ever good enough for his Dad, and one problem I have with this book is you never really find out why. All you know is his Dad is a bully, but the word "bully" doesn't seem strong enough for him. He demeans, insults, and drags Liam down in every way he can. Of course, some of the things Liam does aren't the best, but the way he is treated by his father in unjustifiable. It's disgusting.

When his Dad is kicks him out and he moves to live with Aunt Pete, Liam desperately wants to go back home. To impress his father, to show he's changed, he tries to become a nerd. He tries to befriend the unpopular girl, he joins the AV club, he wears his uncles clothes to discourage the in crowd. It doesn't work though, all his attempts to be an outsider just make the in crowd love him more. And Pete, along with Pete's friends and bandmates, can see right through it. This is not who Liam is.

This book has such huge messages on how we should just be ourselves, and not try to change for anyone - no matter who it is you feel needs impressing. It's absolutely heart breaking to see Liam try so very hard, yet feel even worse when his attempts fail. And everytime his father spoke I was made so unbelievably angry! It's an absolutely fantastic book, and I would recommend it to everyone!

There was one thing I had a huge amount of trouble with; reading it. As you can tell, I really loved this book, I think it was amazing. Yet I had trouble picking it up once I had put it down, and I have no idea why. I enjoyed it immensely while reading, but when not, I wasn't motivated to pick it up. It's took me far too long to read it, and I can't say why. But it is absolutely awesome, and definitely needs to be on everyone's wishlists!

Thanks to K.L. Going for sending me an ARC to review.

Published: 3rd May
Publisher: Graphia Books
Buy on Amazon UK
Buy on Amazon US
K.L. Going's Website